Porn Addiction Test: 12 Questions to Score Yourself Honestly

This is a self-test, not a diagnosis; only a clinician can give you that. But the questions below track what clinicians actually look for (loss of control, escalation, interference with life, continued use despite harm), and answering them honestly takes two minutes. Score each question 0 to 2: 0 = no, 1 = sometimes, 2 = yes, regularly.

The test

Control

1. I've promised myself I'd stop or cut back, and broken that promise more than twice.
2. I've deleted a blocker, filter, or app I installed to stop myself.
3. Sessions last longer than I intended when I start.

Escalation

4. The material I watch now would have shocked or bored me a few years ago.
5. I need porn more often, or need more extreme content, to feel the same effect.
6. I've searched for things I'm uncomfortable admitting I searched for.

Interference

7. Porn cuts into sleep, work, study, or time I meant to spend on something else.
8. I've been late, unprepared, or exhausted because of a session.
9. I use porn to cope with stress, boredom, or bad moods rather than for arousal.

Consequences

10. Porn has affected my sexual experiences with a real partner (interest, arousal, or performance).
11. I hide the extent of my use from people close to me.
12. I keep using despite knowing it's hurting something I care about.

Your score

• 0 to 5: low signal. Your use looks situational. If a specific question scored 2, that's still worth attention on its own.
• 6 to 11: problematic-use territory. You're not imagining it; this is the range where use is self-reinforcing and quitting attempts start to fail. The earlier you intervene, the easier it is.
• 12 to 17: strong signal. Multiple domains of your life are involved. Read the signs and what actually helps, and take the quitting plan seriously rather than casually.
• 18 to 24: seek support alongside self-help. A score here usually means years of entrenchment. Self-help tools still work, but a therapist (ideally one familiar with compulsive sexual behavior) materially improves your odds. There's no shame in that; it's the same logic as seeing a physio for a real injury.

Two questions deserve special weight regardless of total: question 2 (you've already defeated your own defenses) and question 10 (physical effects; see porn-induced erectile dysfunction).

What to do with a positive result

The standard advice, "just decide to stop," fails for a structural reason: the deciding happens now, and the relapsing happens later, when a different mood is in charge. Whatever your score, the interventions that work share one design: they bind the later moment, not the present one.

• Blocking with a consequence. Pledgely blocks porn system-wide on Android and attaches a daily pledge of $1 to $100 that's charged only if you deactivate the blocker. Keep it on and every daily hold is released. If you scored a 2 on question 2, this is specifically built for you: nothing you browse is logged, and the off switch finally costs something.
• A realistic plan. How to quit porn for good covers the four steps in order.
• Knowing what withdrawal feels like so it doesn't ambush you: symptoms and timeline.

Retake this test monthly. The score falling is the most honest progress bar you'll get.

Next: Porn addiction: the signs and what actually helps